A STREET had to be evacuated after a mum found an unexploded bomb in her garden shed.

Sam Scott discovered the live, high-explosive shell in a cupboard as she was getting ready to go camping.

A military bomb disposal squad was called to Easterside, Middlesbrough, and blew up the two-foot-long device on a nearby sports field.

Police are now investigating how the shell got there. The Army confirmed it is co-operating with inquiries.

Speaking at her home in Darnton Drive, shell-shocked Sam, 42, told the Gazette: “We were planning on going camping in Great Broughton so I was looking for a freezer box.

“I went into the bottom of the shed and opened the cupboard and I just could not believe it. I was absolutely shocked. It was a massive bomb.”

On making the find on Saturday afternoon, she called the police who, in turn, summoned bomb experts based at Catterick.

Sam added: “By the look on the soldiers’ faces, they couldn’t believe what they’d found. The police said we’re going to have to evacuate the street.”

Officers cleared 15 to 20 nearby houses and cordoned off the street.

Experts from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit X-rayed the shell and decided it was safe to transport.

A crowd gathered as they took it to Saltersgill playing fields where they buried it in a six-foot hole, covered it with sandbags and carried out a controlled explosion at about 7.15pm.

Sam said: “We were standing well away near the fencing and you could feel it, like a bang in your chest.

“I think we’ve been very lucky. If it wasn’t for us going camping we’d never have known anything about it.”

Sam’s daughter, 21-year-old Jamie-Leigh Scott, was also at home as the drama unfolded. “We never really go to the bottom of the shed,” she said.

“My mum jokes around - she’s got a good sense of humour - so I thought she was having a laugh. When we phoned 999, the woman on the line said, A bomb? Hang on a minute - say it again. You’ve got a bomb in your shed?”

University student Jamie-Leigh added: “It was the shape of a bullet. One of the disposal crew said ‘it’s live - it’s still got a fuse’.

“Everybody who lives nearby has been shocked.”

A spokesman for Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit confirmed the shell was live - but said the chances of it exploding were low. The unit responded after a police officer at the scene texted them a photo of the device.

Acting Inspector Barry Plumpton, of Cleveland Police, said: “We erred on the side of caution and evacuated houses to protect public safety. A serving soldier had previously lived at the address and inquiries are ongoing to establish whether there are any possible links.”

An Army spokesman said: “This matter is being investigated by police and the Army will co-operate fully.”